Thickening-thread-feed mechanism for knitting-machines



(No Model.)

` 2 sheets-sheet 1. W. H. STEWART. THIGKENING THREAD FEED MECHANISM EURKNITTING MACHINES.

110.451,703. Patented May 5,1891.

Hans co., Pnuwumn., wAsmNuaN, o, cA

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2. W. H. STEWART.

TEIGKENING THREAD EEED MEGEANISM EOE KNITTING MAGHNES.

No. 451,703'. Patented May 5, 1891.

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'NITE STATES W'ALTER ll. STEVART, OF FRANKLIN, NEV HAMPSHIRE.

THlCKENlNG-THREAD-FEED MECHANISM FOR KNlTTlNG-MACHiNES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,703, dated 'May 5,1,891.

Application filed January 6, 1890. Serial No. 336,062. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER H. STEWART, of Franklin, in the county ofMerrimac and State ol' New Hampshire, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Thickening-Thread-Feed Mechanism for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to circularknitting machines generally, andparticularly to that class of machines in which the needles are radiallyarranged and are reciprocated in the groove of a needle-bed toward andfrom a common center by means of cams or inclines on a rotatingcam-plate.

It is the object of my invention to provide an improvement on machinesof the class mentioned, whereby an eXtra or thickening yarn may beintroduced to the needles to thicken or strengthen the fabric at anydesired point-as,for example, the heel and toe portions of stockings.

The invention consists in providing an extra yarn-guide adapted to bethrown into and out or" operation, connecting` the said yarnguide andits supporting means with the cam-plate, and constructing and arrangingmeans whereby the said yard-guide may be automatically moved andcontrolled, all as is hereinafter more fully and particularly set forth,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters andsigns of reference marked thereon, forminga part of this specification,the said letters and signs designating the same parts or features, asthe case may be, wherever they occur.

Of the said drawings, Figure lis a top View of a knitting-machineadapted to have my improvements applied thereto, both the usual and myimproved extra yarn-feeding devices being removed therefrom. Fig. 2 is asectional view of the cam-plate and needle-bed shown in Fig. l andenough of the immediate connections of the said parts to explain thenature of my improvements, and showing also a side view ot my invention.Fig. 3 is a top view of my improvement separated from the machine. Fig.4 is a top view of the bracket attached to the cam-plate, which supportsthe extra yarn-carrier and part of its operating means.

In the drawings,- ct designates the needlebed provided with radialgrooves, in which are arranged the needles b, adapted to be reciprocatedin the said grooves by means of cams or inclines c, connected with thecamplate d, which latter device is constructed to be rotated by means ofa bevel-pinion e, se-

-cured to the driving-shaft f, on which the driven loose pulleys g arearranged, and between which pulleys is arranged the sliding clutchmember 7i, splined on shaft f, so as to turn the same when the clutchmember is connected with either of the pulleys g.

j are levers connected with the arbor 7.: andadapted to be operated by apin Z to effect a reciprocation ot' the cam-plate d.

m n are levers adapted to be actuated by pins on the cam-plate toroperating mechanism, whereby the needles are thrown into and out ofOperation in the knitting of heel and toe work.

0 is a ratchet-ring arranged on the camplate so as to be turned thereonby means of a pawl p, connected with lever q, so constructed and placedas to be actuated by a pin o' on the cam-plate, and move the saidratchetring a distance corresponding to the length of one tooth of thesaid ring.

The parts thus far described are substantially the same as those shownand described in United States Letters Patent No. 413,101, granted to meOctober 15, 1889,and while not being a part of my present invention arereferred to merely to assist in the explanation of a way in whichmyimprovements may be applied and used.

As it is necessary when using more than one yarn on circular machines tohave one of them revolve with the cam-plate, l have arranged the stud supon the cam-plate d and placed the bobbin t provided with yarn for theextra yarn-carrier upon the said stud. A bracket u is connected with thestud s and supports a cross-piece o at its upper end, and has one end ofa spring take-up w, provided at its free end with a yarn-guide loop oreye 5o, secured thereto as shown in Fig. 2. The free end of thecross-piece o is provided with a guide-eye y, through which the regularknitting-yarn z passes from its bobbin to the regular yarn-carrier a',which serves the dual IOO zo pivoted thereto.

purpose of a yarn-carrier and latch-opener. The yarn a passes throughthe slot b in the yarn-carrier a', and is drawn forward to the small endof the said slot by the draft of the needles on the yarn, as will bereadily understood by knitting artisans.

c is a brack'et secured at its rear end to the cam-plate d, whichbracket extends forward and downward to a point where theneedles 1o aremoved out by the cams or inclines on the cam-plate to receive yarn fromthe yarnguides, the forward end 'of the sai-d bracket forming a supportfor the forward ends of the forwardly-thrust needles, and also as a r 5means for supporting the yarn-carrier a in shown by Ifull lines in Fig.2, or be raised up out of the said slots, as represented by dotted linesin the last-mentioned Afigure.

h designates `a rod provided at its outer end with an vangular `portionfi', adapted to 3o bear on a cam y", formed on the ratchet-'ring o. Thesaid rod is arranged to be rockedin `bearings formed in the brackets 7cZ', and a spring mf, secured to the said rod and one of thesaidbearings,or it may be to the cam-plate,

operates with a tendency to keep t-he said angular portion c" pressedupon the said cam j. At its inner end the rod h is provided with acrank-arm n', lhaving a pin 0, which proj ects 'through a slot p',formed in the yarn- 4o carrier e', as is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Vhenthe knitting of regular'circularwork is being performed, as in theconstruction of the leg-and-footportion of a stocking,but one yarn-theregular yarn .e--will be fed to the needles, and the yarn-carrier e"will be in the position in which it is shown by full lines in Fig. 2 andthe angular port-ion t" of rod h will rest upon the oamj. Vhen the heelor toe of the stocking is reached and the cam- 5o plate is reciprocated,as is commonly done,

the pin r will be raised or placed in position so as to move theratchet-ring o a distance corresponding to the distance between onetooth and another at each reciprocation of 5 5 the cam-plate,which'movement of the ratchetring will carry the cam 7" from under the'angular part vl of rod h and permit the spring m to turn the saidrod,so as to cause the pin 0 on the crank-arm n and operating in the 6oslot p to move the yarn-carrier up to the dotted-line position of Fig.2, and so feed the thickening-yarn e to the needles with the regularknitting-yarn z.

In'the reciprocatingmovemen ts ofthe camplate the pins q r extending upfrom the forward end of the bracket o will serve properly to guide theyarns to the needles.

After the knitting of a heel or toe has been completed the ratchet-ringo will have made one complete revolution, and the camj, coming under thebent end t" of rod 7L', will operate to move the yarn-carrier e down tothe full-line position of Fig. 2, drawing the yarn z around pin r',through the slot s below the needles, where it will be held down andoutof the way while circular knitting is to beperformed by the bracket cand be made to float from heel to toe and toeto heel without breaking orcutting the same.

It will readily be understood by reference to my aforesaidpatent that:the ratchet-ring o may be operated automatically, and so effect anautomatic operation of the entire 5invention.

Changes maybe made in the .form and arrangement of parts, as is obvious,'without departing from the nature or spirit ofthe invention. l

Having Athus explained the nature of Amy invention, and described awaylof'constru'cting and usingthe same, I declare that what I claim isAA 1. The needle-bed, the needles, lthe camplate, and means connectedtherewith for operating the needles, combined witha bracket secured yatits 'rear end to the cam-'plate and extending forward and downward toapoint where the needles are moved ont by Vthe cams, said bracket beingprovided with the slot and pins q' fr', as described, the regularyarn-carrier, slotted as described and supported by the vforward end ofsaid bracket, an extra yarn-carrier movable into and out of ythe slotsin the bracket, andiregular yarnearrier'to throw the yarn Acarried 'byVit into and out of action, andmeans connected with the 'cam-plate formoving the eXtrayarn-carrier, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the needles, their support, and the rotarycam-plate, Aof the ,pivoted yarn-carrier e', the movable 4ring yon 'thecam-plate provided with a cam, 'the rod h', connected with the pivotedyarn-carrier, and spring m, as set forth.

3. The combination, 4with the needles, Vtheir support, and the rotaryvcam-plate, of `the pivoted yarn-carrier e', the movable ring o on thecam-plate, providedwith a cam, the rod 72.', provided at one end with anangularportion adapted to rest on ring 0 and to be'operated bythe camthereon, said rod being provided at its opposite end with a crankarm nand pin o', the latter being arranged to operate in a slot formed intheyarn-carrier e', and spring m, as set forth.

4. The combination, with the needles, their support, and the rotarycam-plate, of the bracket c', the slotted vyarn-carrier a', secured IOOt0 said bracket, and the yarn-carrier e', piv- In testimony whereofv Ihave signed my oted on said bracket and arranged to operate name to thisspecification, in the presence of in the slot of yarn-carrier a', as setforth. two subscribing Witnesses, this 20th day of 5. The combination,with the needles, their December, A. D. 1889. 5 support, and the rotarycam-plate, of the slotted bracket c', provided with the pins q VALTER H.STEWART. r', the slotted yarncarrier a', secured to said bracket, andyarn-carrier e', pivoted on said Witnesses:

bracket and arranged to operate in the slot LOUIS M. CHILDS, ro ofyarn-carrier a', as set forth. MONTG. EVANS.

